This information was received on Monday by Reuters behind the Pasteur Municipal Institute (IPC) in Cambodia’s capital – Phnom Penh.
A group of eight scientists returned to the sampling site where 11 years ago a virus very similar to SARS-CoV-2 was found, according to the IPC. In 2010, two samples of bats from the horseshoe family were taken, which were subsequently frozen at the institute. Research last year shows that it is very similar to the current coronavirus.
We hope that the results of this research will help the world understand better COVID-19 Said Thafri Hoyem field research coordinator.
“We want to know if the virus is still there”
Dr. Viasna Duong, Head of the Department of Virology at the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia, reported that in the past two years, IPC has conducted four similar field studies in the natural environment of bats. – We want to know if the virus is still there, (…) to know how it evolved – reported.
As Reuters reports, other viruses in recent history that came from bats include SARS, MERS and Ebola.
Dong added that humans are responsible for COVID-19 due to their intrusion into and destruction of the natural environment of wild animals. – Explain that if we try to get closer to wildlife environments, the chances of transmitting viruses to humans will be greater.
As the Associated Press reported in March, a mission of scientists under the auspices of the World Health Organization in Wuhan estimated that It is possible that the Corona virus was transmitted to humans from bats through other animals.
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